The medical royal colleges and other bodies representing health professionals have pledged to do more to tackle health inequalities through direct action on the social determinants of health.

The Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Surgeons, and the Royal College of General Practitioners are among 21 organisations to make firm commitments to act, which include investigating a patient’s social and economic circumstances as well as their medical history when assessing health.

The commitments are included in a report, Working for Health Equity: The Role of Health Professionals,1 launched on Monday by University College London’s Institute of Health Equity at a conference at the BMA in London.